The Missing Years
by Chibi-Kari
Summary: One night Carey left with the boys. One day Kurt decided he wanted to be a father again. In four years Cody's life will change forever. What happens when he finds his way back home? R&R!
1. Introduction

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Chibi-Kari: Well I'm not too happy with the way this turned out, but I love my idea for the story and I had to get it down. Of course I don't own, but I absolutely adore Dylan and Cole. Please give me your opinion, it'll get better I promise.

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**The Missing Years**

**Life Begins…

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"Come on, Codes. Help me out." The blonde boy turned and clasped his hands in dramatic way, pleading with his brother.

"No, Zack. I'm not going to help you cheat." An identical boy raised his body in a prideful way, for once he wasn't going to give in to his brother. "If I help you, you'll never learn." He pushed past his twin brother.

"Yes I will. I'll just learn next time. Come on, Cody. You're my favorite brother." Zack said grabbing his twins arm. The hallway had now been empty for a few minutes.

"Zack. First of all, we're going to be late. Second of all, I'm your only brother." Cody sighed as he walked away.

"Does this mean you're going to help me?" Zack asked as he chased his brother down the hall.

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**Two Hours Later

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Both boys had walked into the Tipton, completely ignoring everyone in the lobby. Cody walked slightly faster to try and get away from his twin. Zack was fuming.

"I can't believe you didn't help me, your only brother!" Zack said throwing one hand over his heart.

"It's not right to cheat, Zack." Cody answered as they both entered the suite.

"It's not cheating. It's one brother helping another. But what would I expect from a little goody two shoes." Zack said dropping his bag on the floor and walking over to the table.

"Well, do your homework and you won't have a problem." Cody responded as he sat down at the table and pulled out his math.

"I'll do it later. I'm going to Max's." Zack said as he walked out the front door and slammed it shut.

"Whatever." Cody said as he looked back down at his book.

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**In the Lobby

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Mr. Moseby was standing at the front counter. Today was slow. The twins weren't down to annoy him or ruin the hotel. They were fighting, that's the only explanation to why they weren't around. And it was wonderful!

A man with dirty blonde hair came through the door and walked over to Moseby's desk.

"Hello can I help you?" Mr. Moseby asked, eying the man carefully. He looked a little too scruffy to want to stay here.

"Yes, I was wondering if you could tell me where the Martins are." The man responded, glancing around him.

"May I ask who you are?" Mr. Moseby asked.

"Kurt. Kurt Martin. I just wanted to see my boys while I was in town." He said shaking his head slightly to knock his hair out of his eyes.

"Upstairs. But Carrey isn't here right now. She left to go talk to our pianist. And I just saw Zack walk out the front door." Mr. Moseby said. He wasn't sure how much he could trust this man.

"What about Cody?"

"He's probably upstairs doing his homework."

"That's fine. I'll just go see him. Thanks." And with that Kurt Martin turned away and walked over to the elevator.

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**Martin Suite

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Cody had just finished the last of his math homework, when he heard a knock on the door. Cody heaved a sigh and walked over to the door, he assumed that Zack had just left his key at home again.

He pulled open the door, "Zack, you shouldn't—Dad?"

"Hi, Cody." Kurt said as he stood at the door.

"What are you doing here?"

"Do I have to have a reason to see my son?"

"No…I guess not." Cody said glancing behind him.

"Hey, did you have dinner yet?" Kurt asked.

"No-but Mom'll be back in a bit to make dinner." Cody said gripping the door a little tighter. What was his dad doing here?

"Your Mom won't mind. Come on, I'll bring you out. Just you and me." Kurt said putting his hand lightly on his son's head.

"Well…" Cody looked up and smiled, "I guess. Just the two of us, no Zack?"

"No Zack. Come on. Grab your coat and we'll go." Kurt smiled at Cody.

"Yeah." Cody walked into the living room and grabbed his jacket from the couch.

"Let's go, kid," Kurt said as he put a hand on his son's back.

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**TBC

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**Chibi-Kari: Told you guys it wasn't well written…really I am a good writer, I don't know what's going on, but I promise this will get better. I probably will re-due this chapter at a later time. Please review! All feedback helps me to fix my writing!

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	2. Life Without You

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Chibi-Kari: Well I was having trouble deciding what I wanted to do next with this story so I decided to do it this way…Four Year Skip! Don't worry the blank four years will be filled in. I don't own and no there is no Maddie/Cody…it may seem like that, but I didn't mean it like that. On with the fic…

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**The Missing Years**

**Life Without You

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She sighed heavily putting her hands down on the counter, watching as the pancakes cooked on the stove. That was Cody's favorite meal. He loved pancakes. She raggedly ran a hand through her blonde hair. Recently she had grown it slightly longer. It had been Zack's girlfriend's idea. Max, Carrey smiled lightly at the thought. The girl had certainly grown in the four years. She was dressing and acting like a girl, a little too much for Carrey's liking, but she loved the girl none-the-less. Cody would have too.

Tears started to gather at the rims of her eyes. All she could do was pray that her little boy was alright. She could still picture the day in her head, like it happened moments before.

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"_Zack, I can't believe that you would just walk out of our house like that! What if something happened to you! I wouldn't have known where you went!" Carrey scolded as they walked into the Tipton._

"_Mom, Cody knew where I was. I was just over at Max's." Zack whined at his mother, being careful not to anger her anymore._

"_That's not the point, Zack. I had to pick you up on the side of the street because you missed the bus home. I don't want you running around like that. Anything could happen to you. For once I wish you could be more like your brother." Carrey sighed as they entered the elevator._

"_For once?" Zack snapped, "How about always." He hung his head._

"_Oh, Zack," Carrey knelt down before her son, "that isn't true. I love you for you and wouldn't want to change you for the world. Come on, I'll make you what you want for dinner. Tonight you get to pick."_

"_Spaghetti?" Zack asked looking hopeful. It was one of the few foods that he and Cody could agree on. They hadn't had it in awhile. He was sure Cody would be happy. He had felt a bit bad when he was talking to Max, well actually Max made him feel bad for putting Cody in that situation._

"_Yeah, Cody'll enjoy that too." Carrey smiled at her wayward son. Something made her stop right before she reached the door knob. Something wasn't right but she couldn't place it._

"_Come on, Mom! I'm hungry." Zack stated impatiently behind her, tapping one foot on the ground._

_She took a deep breath and opened the door, nothing could be wrong. It was just stress, "Cody, we're back!" Her voice echoed through the room. She waited but no sound returned._

_Zack seemed to get nervous all of a sudden, "Codes?" He called out as he scanned the main room, then quickly crossed it to the closed bedroom door._

_Carrey just watched, stunned, as Zack walked in every room looking for his brother. Moments went by, but they seemed like hours. She couldn't move. She knew he was gone. How Carrey knew, she didn't know herself. She just knew._

"_His coat is missing." Zack said softly, "Maybe he went to go meet me at Max's." He quickly picked up the phone and dialed the number he had memorized after that fateful basketball game. In a matter of seconds the phone clicked down. "Maybe he went downstairs. He must be in the lobby. Or maybe London dragged him off somewhere." Carrey could tell in his voice that he was panicking. That didn't make sense. It made about as much sense as the fact that she knew her baby was gone._

"_I'm sure that's where he is," she lied. "Or at least someone will know where he went."  
_

_The ride down the elevator was a blur as they walked briskly into the Lobby. Carrey walked straight to Mr. Moseby's desk._

_Zack came bounding up to her quickly, "Maddie and London say they haven't seen him. Mr. Moseby have you seen Cody?" Zack asked seeing that his mother was just standing there not doing anything._

"_About two hours ago. He left with your dad." Mr. Moseby answered. Carrey's eyes widened._

"_My dad? You're wrong. What would Dad be doing here?" Zack asked laughing slightly._

"_Well, that's who he said he was. Kurt Martin. And Cody seemed comfortable with him. Although he doesn't seem like the type of man that I would let my children hang around with." Mr. Moseby said the last bit under his breath, but it was loud enough for Carrey to hear._

"_He isn't."

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_

They had called the police and searched. They searched for weeks and nothing came up. Cody had disappeared with his dad.

"Pancakes for dinner, Mom?" Zack's voice rang out.

Carrey straightened up and wiped her eyes. She turned around to set her sights on Zack and Max.

"That's perfect Mrs. Martin. I've been in the mood for pancakes all week." Carrey smiled at Max. Even if she hated pancakes she wouldn't have said a thing against it.

Everyone knew this would happen. It happened every year on this day. This day marked the forth year that Cody had been gone. It was hard for everyone, but things had gotten better. And sometimes she hated herself for that. Some moments she almost forgot about Cody and she hated herself for every one of those moments.

For Zack it had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Although, Zack would trade anything to get his brother back, he had ended up in a better place. He had to keep Cs to stay on all his teams and since Cody wasn't there to cheat from, he studied himself. With a little effort he found himself getting Bs and the occasional C. And the tragedy brought him and Max together. Since they started searching for Cody she came every day. Then one day about two years ago they became something more than friends. Zack's life was going well and Carrey could see it in his eyes that he felt guilty. Guilty for feeling happy.

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**The Lobby

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Mr. Moseby sat at his desk. He had been doing this job for too long. He had once thought that this job was perfect for him, that he was meant to serve people and that he could peg them and their needs when they walked through the door. That had changed four years ago.

His eyes traveled down to the photo behind the desk, it was the final screenshot of the commercial they did. There was Cody smiling back at him. Moseby smiled back at the still 12 year old in the photo. He smiled at the photo everyday. It may seem stupid, but he hoped that wherever Cody was that he could feel it.

When he left it tore the place apart. Everyone was devastated. London cried and had actually started a fund to help look for him. Moseby had been so sad, but proud at the same time. The girl had learned to care for someone other than herself. It had been a horrible blow to Maddie, though. She had always had a special place in her heart for the twins and it was no secret that Cody could always make her smile. As the years passed she smiled less and less. Moseby wasn't sure if he had seen her smile in a long time. Her life just seemed to go downhill. She had been accepted into college, but didn't receive any scholarships so she wasn't able to attend. Mr. Moseby had offered her money and so had London, but she wouldn't take it. She just stayed at the hotel and took night classes at the Community College. This was good for London, who had, with Maddie's help, gotten into the Community College and was taking some business classes.

The bell on the door rang as a figure made its way through the door.

"Welcome to the Tipton." Mr. Moseby's voice rang through the lobby, "Will you-" He was struck silent by what he saw.

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**TBC

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**Chibi-Kari: I hope you liked this little chapter. It's longer than the last, but I know it wasn't very long, and I know I'm so obvious and you all know who just walked through the door, but I still think it's better to end the chapter where I did. Please review and tell me what you thought!

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	3. My Life Without Me

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Chibi-Kari: Really short chapter I know, but my Uncle just died and I have to take the GRE tomorrow…well actually today. I don't own and I never expected 13 reviews…thank you all so much. I assure you the next chapter will be longer.

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**The Missing Years**

**My Life Without Me

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"_**Welcome to the Tipton." Mr. Moseby's voice rang through the lobby, "Will you-" He was struck silent by what he saw.

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He stayed silent for only moments, but there were lifetimes. Mr. Moseby closed his eyes for a moment and opened them again. He prayed it wasn't another illusion. It would kill him if he opened his eyes and the young man was gone. But, to his relief, the figure was still there. This time it was different, so different than his dreams. Normally he would see a young man in front of him that bore a striking resemblance to Zack. Of course he would be slightly taller; Cody was always the taller twin. He would also be a little skinnier and have that mole on the right side of his face. It was amazing how you could memorize characteristics when you had to search for so long.

But after four long years, there he was. He didn't look anything like Moseby had expected. His hair was quite a bit longer than Zack's, it was stringy and fell covering most of his face. His blue eyes seemed to burn through Mr. Moseby as he sat staring at the young man. Cody was still slightly taller than Zack, Moseby could tell. But there was something so different. This boy standing in front of him could bring Zack down in a second. He was so much stronger, you could tell just by looking at him. This spoke a lot to Mr. Moseby, considering Zack was on every sport team possible and excelled at all of them…including wrestling.

But none of that mattered at that moment, all that matter was this young man standing before him. The young man that everyone had thought of for four years, hoping and praying that he was still alive.

"Mr. Moseby, I need tomorrow off. I have to study for finals-" Maddie stopped as she turned and looked at the profile of the young man in front of the counter. "Zack? What did you do to your hair?"

Just then London made her way up to Maddie, "Yeah, you've done a lot of faux pas. But this one takes the cake. And those clothes, they don't look like they've been washed in a week."

"That's because they haven't. And I see your intelligence hasn't changed at all, London. But it seems that yours, Maddie, dropped a few points." Normally Moseby would have thought that was a sarcastic remark. But the disdain that bled through it made him realize that this wasn't the same Cody that left four years ago.

But obviously Maddie didn't realize this. She stepped forward with her arms open wide, "Cody!" He just backed up and put his arms in front of his body.

"I don't need any pleasantries. I was just in town and I wanted to see Carrey and Zack." The tone in his voice made London physically shudder. Moseby could see it out of the corner of his eye, but his focus was still on Maddie and Cody. She looked hurt, while Cody aimlessly looked around the lobby. "It looks exactly the same. Good job." The sarcastic remark stung. This person in front of them wasn't the Cody they watched grow up.

"Mom, we're gunna be late for my game!" A familiar voice ran out through the lobby.

"Coming, Zack. I can't walk any faster." Another voice replied.

"Sometimes Mom, I think you don't appreciate me," came a laughing response.

"How could I not appreciate my lovely boy? Honor roll student and star of every team," sounded the witty response.

A smile graced both familiar faces as they walked out on to the street.

"Well I guess coming back here was a waste." Cody said as he took a turn towards the door.

"Wait!" Moseby finally found his voice. But when Cody turned he wish he didn't. His hair swung slightly revealing his right cheek and there it was. Running from right above his eyebrow to the middle of his cheek was a jagged scar. Mr. Moseby heard London take a sharp intake of breath. Right then he realized he hadn't been hoping hard enough.

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**TBC

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**Chibi-Kari: I hope you enjoyed. Read and Review please…even to tell me that the chapter sucked. Oh and later I will explain the Carrey and Zack thing. Thanks! I probably will re-write this chapter later, just stick with me please.

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	4. Here With You

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Chibi-Kari: I'm so sorry I didn't update this as fast as I was going before. The other day my roommate tried to commit suicide so I was with her almost constantly while she was recuperating in the Psych Ward. I don't own and thank you everyone for your patience. On with the fic..

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_**The Missing Years**_

_**Chapter 4-Here With You

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He knew it wasn't their fault. He could see that they hadn't glanced over at the front desk where he was standing when they rushed out of the hotel. Zack had a game, they didn't have the time to look over. Cody glared. It still hurt.

"Well I guess coming back here was a waste." He said as he took a turn towards the doors. All this time, all the wishing he had done. And they moved on without him, they didn't even try to look for him. It hurt; it was just like his father said.

"Wait!" Moseby shouted towards him, he could tell that the man was wishing to speak to him for just a little longer.

He closed his eyes and stiffened slightly before turning around. His eyes widened slightly as he felt his hair slide, revealing the dreadful scar on his face. Cody's thoughts were recognized as he heard London gasp. He still remembered the day he got that scar; that was something he would never forget.

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_**Flashback

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"Dad, I can't go back to school. Don't make me! They hate me. It's horrible." Cody sobbed as he looked up at his father. That man had looked so caring just months before. Now he was cold, uncaring. It was a lie, this man didn't want him here.

"You'll go. And stop being such a baby. If you weren't such a baby they wouldn't pick on you." Kurt roughly grabbed Cody by the shoulders and shook him.

"I-I can't. I need Zack. Just let me go back home. Please." Cody looked at his father and pleaded. He needed his brother. "Please."

Kurt's hands tightened on his shoulders. Cody squeezed his eyes shut, **"You are your own person. You don't need your brother to function. Dealing with other people is part of life. Now get out of my way, I need to do some stuff."** He said as he roughly pushed Cody out of the way.

Cody stumbled and hit the ground with a soft thud. He just watched his father's retreating figure. He knew that "stuff" meant drinking.

He shook his head slightly and grabbed his coat. Another day at school, another day that he was constantly ridiculed and hated. Life couldn't get any worse. He realized that. He missed Zack and his mom. Life wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all.

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_**End of Flashback

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"**What?"** He snapped as the three of them gawked at him.

"Your face," was all that London could stutter out. He knew she was referring to the scar.

"Well you see it every day here, so I don't see why you have to gawk at it like it's the newest designer shoes." Cody snapped.

"Cody-" This time it was Mr. Moseby. "Come sit down. Just for a minute, we haven't seen you in ages. Please."

This wasn't the Moseby that he remembered, the man that would have given anything to have him and his brother shipped off to boarding school. He cocked his good eyebrow, it was bad enough that his face was scarred, but it looked really disturbing when he cocked the eyebrow with the scar.

"Why would you want me to stay?" Cody gasped out with a light laugh.

Maddie shot forward grabbing his arm and letting tears come to her eyes, "Why wouldn't we! We love you, Cody! We missed you!"

"**Missed me enough to look for me?"** Cody snapped back, wrenching his arm from her grasp.

She gasped and shrunk back, it was London who retaliated. Her voice rose to such a pitch of anger that Moseby had never heard, **"We _did_ look for you! We looked for so long! I spent so much money, I would have spent it all for you-on you! God Cody, we needed you here. Where did you go? What happened to you? We need to know. We love you."**

"You don't need to pretend for my sake, London. I heard Carrey and Zack. They didn't need me. They did better without me. Zack is an honor student, that's all she ever wanted. None of you needed me." Cody said looking away. He just caused more pain by coming back.

"You're right. We didn't need you." Cody glanced up at Maddie as she said these words, "But we wanted you. You're our family. We're all family."

She grabbed his hand and lead him to the sofa. The others followed. "Cody just talk to us. You don't know how much you meant to us. Everyone missed you, everyone here at the hotel and at your school."

Cody closed his eyes. School.

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_**Flashback

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They just laughed. Laughed and Laughed. Cody hit the ground hard as he glanced for a helping hand in the crowd of boys that surrounded him. If he closed his eyes he would see Zack, but he knew that his brother wouldn't be there. He held back a sob.

"Stop being such a cry baby." One of the boys shouted kicking him in the stomach.

"Pretty boy here thinks it's alright to cry. Why don't we show him what crying does?" The ring leader yelled as he waved his hand casually through the air with as a gesture to his friends. "You won't be so pretty anymore when we're done with you."

Their laughter echoed through the hallways. No one in the school would help him. The students didn't care, and it was a real joke if anyone thought that the teachers cared.

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_**End of Flashback

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Cody looked at the people surrounding him. These people cared. After so long-four years. He found someone that cared. He reached up and touched his scar. These three people. His eyes glanced towards the door. But his mom didn't care, how could she? She had everything she ever dreamed of. He needed to get back to his dad. It didn't matter if these people cared. He had to go back.

He stood up abruptly turning towards the door.

"Cody!" London shouted as she jumped out of the chair.

He wouldn't turn around this time. He couldn't trust anyone this time.

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_**TBC

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_**Chibi-Kari: Thanks for reading. I'll try to make the chapters come out more often. Please review! P.S. it was longer than the last chapter.

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	5. Pain Because You're Near

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**_Chibi-Kari: I know it's been awhile...sorry. I moved out of my apartment and back in with my parents, so I'm forced to use dial-up. As soon as September comes I'll be back on wireless through my college in London. I'm not saying before September because packing and moving into a dorm takes time. I don't own and I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. I'm going to try and get another chapter up before the end of August...no promises though!_

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_The Missing Years_ **

_Chapter 5-Pain Because You're Near_

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"Shit." He hissed as his head ricocheted off the carpet. Why didn't he remember that London was a black belt? It's not like she would have taken him under normal circumstances. "London."

"What?" She asked with her eyes narrowed. Her glare settled on the back of his head.

"You're not supposed to use martial arts on someone whose back is turned." She could feel him smirk as he shifted to throw her off. Within seconds she was smack on the floor with her feet in the air, whereas he was sitting up fixing his hair slightly. Gasps had escaped everyone in the lobby, "But you can use it in self defense."

"How did you get so strong?" London gasped as she struggled to sit up without flashing the lobby.

"It's funny the things you learn when you don't have someone else doing them for you." Cody smirked as he let his words ring through the silent lobby.

"I know someone who would completely agree with you, Cody." Everyone looked up, except Cody who had frozen. He didn't need any of them to tell him who was behind him. He suspected she looked the same; long brown hair done up in braids, a pair of jeans and a big shirt. Her voice hadn't changed any and he could tell that she had the disapproving look on her face. It rang out through her voice.

Cody shifted his weight to stand then slowly turn to look at his childhood friend, "Max, you've sure changed." What met his eyes had been almost opposite of what he had expected.

She raised an eyebrow slightly, "I can say the same for you. It seems that I've been making some good changes while you've been making some bad. You kind of look like what I thought Zack would look like at age 25, well, that is before the incident."

At that comment it was Cody's turn to raise his good eyebrow, "What incident? And I hope you and my brother are finally dating."

Max blushed lightly, "Yes, we are. You're brother has changed. We all have. We've missed you so much."

"Ah. So that's the incident. Wow, I've always wanted the worst day of my life to be labeled." The sarcasm dripped from his voice, but quickly returned to its curt tone. "Well I'm glad you to have finally gotten together. You've made some great changes. And so has my brother, from what I've heard. He's an honor student and probably captain of every sports team. Every mother's dream. It seems that everyone made out quite well. As they say, one person's blessing may be another person's curse." He started to make his way back to the door only to be blocked by Max, "Excuse me, I have places I could be."

She looked up at his blue eyes, "Like where? The street? You came all this way and you're not even going to see your family? What happened to the Cody I grew up with? The Cody that would do anything for his family?" Her brown eyes started to water.

He shrugged lightly, "I think that Cody walked out of this hotel four years ago. But I'm still doing anything for my so called family. Look how happy they are. I'm going to keep them that way. I'm going to walk right back out that door and go where I should be."

"Should be! You should be right here with us! You didn't see your mother an hour ago. She was crying over some pancakes. She cooks them every year for you!" Max tried to grab his arm as he made his way the final stretch to the door.

"Give my regards to Carrey and Zack." Cody glanced once more behind him before walking out the revolving doors.

Max collapsed on the floor. This was too much for her. Cody came back, he finally came back and then just walked out the door. Zack would be devastated.

"Max?" A voice she knew all to well rang out through the lobby. "Max, are you alright?" Zack said as he ran down the steps to his girlfriend, she could hear Carrey following behind him.

All she could manage to get out through her flowing tears was the word Cody.

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**_TBC_

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_Chibi-Kari: I hope you all enjoy. Please leave a review! Sorry it's short!_

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	6. Why Did I Come?

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Chibi-Kari: Really sorry it took so long, I don't know how that happened. This year is going by so fast, this semester flew by and I've been so busy. Now this may take a turn none of you expected. I would just like to point out some facts. I believe I stated earlier that this is not a Kurt is an abuser story. It is still _not_ one. This chapter should make that clear. Next chapter is when the real action will start up, this is just clearing up a little bit of where Cody's been. I don't own and really hope you enjoy. You'll get a little more in the next chapter…and maybe if I'm feeling nice when I write the next chapter I'll give the big surprise I've been planning that I hint at in this chapter! Enjoy! Oh and London is doing better in school, but that doesn't mean she got any more street smart.

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**The Missing Years**

**Why Did I Come?

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Carrey looked down at that simple hunk of plastic. That was all she had left of her little boy. He just turned around and walked out, thinking he was unwanted. She never had felt that…for the past four years she had wanted him back more than anything. Truly, she felt guilty but still, she wished for Cody back more than Zack's achievements. She could not take one of her boys and replace him with the other. No mother worked like that, but right now, right this moment, her son was walking the cold winter streets of Boston. Where had he been all these years? What had he been through? She only heard bits and pieces, but from what she heard Kurt hadn't protected their son.

Her hands clenched painfully. As soon as she got Cody back she would find Kurt and make him pay. Personally and then in court. There was no excuse for what he had done. None at all. She would never forgive him, or herself for that matter. Cody would be right here in her arms if she had come ten minutes earlier. '_Why did I come ten minutes late?'_

"I don't understand why he would leave. This just doesn't seem like the Cody I know." Zack said as he shook his head. He was sitting next to Max on the couch, their knees touching as they held hands in between them.

"He isn't the same Cody." Maddie answered as she looked up from her cup of coffee.

Moseby had ordered drinks for them all as they sat around the lobby discussing Cody. It was hard for him to think that earlier this afternoon he was upset that he had to take the night shift because the normal girl that worked it was getting married. He sighed and shook his head slightly.

The cops had left an hour ago transferring all the information they could from the small phone that Cody had left behind. They were going to take it, but Carrey had insisted on keeping the last thing she had of her baby. What if he came back for it?

"I can't imagine him not being the same." Zack said softly as he shook his head slightly.

"I'm confused at why he had a cell phone." London said suddenly looking up and around the room.

Moseby ran his hand over has face letting it linger momentarily at his left temple. "Why? Everyone has cell phones now."

"But remember he said his clothes hadn't been washed in a week…If he didn't have enough money to wash his clothes, or just buy new one, how does he have enough for a cell phone?" She scratched her head lightly. Her cropped black hair sliding around her fingers as she looked at the people around her.

"I-I don't know." Maddie said looking up. She reached over for the cell phone and quickly snatched it off the table and held it in front of London. "How much does this cost?"

London smiled slightly, "About a hundred dollars without a contract online…not that I would ever buy it online. I looked into getting it the other year."

"Why didn't you?" Maddie said cocking an eyebrow. A hundred dollar phone was a lot more than she could ever afford for a cell phone.

"Because I didn't want to buy my new cell phone overseas…plus when the clerk turned it on it was in Swedish or German. He said I could change the language to British, but I don't know British." She said shaking her head at what she thought of as stupidity of the clerk.

"British is the same as-wait, what did you say?" Moseby said as his head snapped up to look at the girl in front of him.

"That the phone is in German?" London said tilting her head to the side.

"No. No. That's not what he means. Can you get this phone in the States, London?" Max asked as she moved forward in her chair.

"Not at the time I saw it, but you probably can now. I guess the way to tell would be to turn it off." She said looking between Max and Moseby.

"Why turning it off?" Zack said.

"If it says goodbye in the other language than it wasn't bought in the States. Duh." She said shaking her head at Zack as she reached forward and grabbed the phone from Maddie's hand. With a simple click of a button she announced, "There. German, see Maddie."

Maddie looked down at the phone blankly, "So it wasn't bought here."

"Probably not."

"Where did you find this phone?" Carrey asked finally letting her voice fill the lobby.

"When I was visiting the Tipton sight in London. I stopped by the Orange Store to look at the phones. Daddy said I could get a tri-band phone. Did you know that meant that it could be used internationally? I thought it had just meant that three bands had used this same type of phone. The clerk thought I was stupid, it was an honest mistake." London said shaking her head.

"Cody's been in London?" Carrey asked wide-eyed.

"Wouldn't he have an accent?" Zack asked.

"Some people can fall in and out of accents depending on where they live." Maddie said off-handedly. "But he could have also gotten the phone somewhere else. Stolen it or bought it off of someone."

"Or he could have been living overseas and that's why the police couldn't find him." Moseby said as his eyes widened.

"Why don't you guys just check the phone number? They are different in different countries. And with this phone if you by it in London you have to press the plus sign before the number. Isn't that stupid?" London said as she handed the phone over to Maddie.

Maddie quickly scrolled through the phonebook. There weren't many numbers but in front of all of them were +44. "It's not American. None of the numbers are. Oh my God, how did he get here?"

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**The Streets of Boston

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Cody kicked the ground as he walked down the street. One more night on the street and then he would start making his way back. It took a week to get to Boston, but he had done it and now he realized it was the worst mistake he had made in his seventeen years of life. But he had to. He didn't want to stay with Kurt forever. His reason for staying as long as he did just ended. His father didn't matter to him anymore. He felt stupid for all the years he wasted wishing that his father and mother would get back together. The only good thing he could say about his father was the fact that the man had never really laid a hand on him. Sometimes he got pushed out of the way, but Kurt never became violent and in the end it had probably been better that he learned the lessons he learned.

Leaning against the brick wall he blocked out the vision of the dim alleyway. Kurt would be pissed that he left. Cody could count on that but being a continent away, Kurt could do nothing. He probably wouldn't even care that his son had slept on the streets for the past five days. Cody knew he could stay in a hotel tonight, but he wanted to make sure he could make it back to London. You never know when you need a bit of money to make sure you can get where you need to go. One more day, he'd leave bright and early in the morning.

"I'll catch a ten a.m. flight out and this whole fiasco will be behind me." Cody said shaking his head lightly.

One question kept going through his mind, '_Why did I come back at all?_'

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**TBC

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**Chibi-Kari: Well there you go. Please Review! And I promise, the next chapter will not take a month to go up…it'll hopefully be up right after the 14th…that's the day I fly back home. Thanks for reading!

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	7. Rubbish

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Chibi-Kari: I guess all I can say is whoops. I truly didn't mean for it to take so long. But life happens. Well since everyone was so patient (if anyone is still reading this) I put in all of the little things I was going to wait to put in. More insight into Cody's life in the next chapter…but will he appear??? I have yet to decide! Enjoy and please review! If I see that people are still reading this, I'll update even faster. &hopes she doesn't forget that promise&****

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The Missing Years**

**Chapter 7-Rubbish

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They sat still…quiet. The police had to know by now. Max gently took the phone from Zack's hands and placed it on the table in front of them.

"Another question…" Everyone turned towards London, it seemed that she was full of insightful questions tonight. "Why didn't he have bags? If he had the money to get here why didn't he stay in a hotel?"

Moseby sighed as he looked at the young heiress. Maybe she only really had one insightful moment in her for the night. "Money. Or he didn't want to leave a paper trail. There are a million answers for that, London."

London just shrugged, "Well it still doesn't make sense to me."

All attention quickly shifted from London, to the cell phone as it started to ring, or more precisely play 'Naive' by The Kooks.

"Should we…answer it?" Carrey asked as she looked at the small phone as it rang on the table.

It was moments later that the revolving doors registered that someone had come in, but Moseby was too wrapped up in the phone to even glance at them.

"There. I hear his mobile." Time moved in slow motion as Zack looked back towards the group that had just entered.

A second voiced rang out from a young red head that threw herself at Zack. "Cody!" They toppled over the couch as she said, "You shouldn't just leave us like that! You scared us with all that rubbish you were spouting about going to see your mum and brother!"

A blonde boy stepped down the stairs towards the group, "You know I'm not fond of flying and we had to come all the way-Carla, that's not Cody." The boy stopped suddenly as three other people bounded down the stairs towards the group.

"What are you going on about? Of course this is-." She looked up at Zack and her brown eyes widened. "Who are you?!"

Zack watched as the girl detached herself from him and sat up, gawking at him.

Max was the first to speak, "You know Cody? Cody Martin."

A girl from the back came forward her straight brown hair thrown carelessly over her left shoulder, "Of course we do. I take it that you are his family."

"Yes! I'm his mother. Do you know where he is? Where has he been? We've been looking for him for so long!" Carrey pleaded desperately with these people standing in front of her.

"Rubbish. If you were looking you would have found him." The first boy spoke again, shaking his blonde head as he looked on.

Carla leaned forward and snatched Cody's phone quickly. "Well I have his mobile. Shall we go look for him? He shan't be too hard to find."

"He's probably wandering the streets. Not safe to do here, what with the right to bear arms and all." Another boy spoke from the back; he had hair matching that of Carla.

"Wait! You can't leave!" Zack finally spoke as he looked onto the group. "I need my brother. We did look for him, we looked and looked, but how were we to know he was in some stupid country?!"

"Stupid country?" The girl in the back cocked an eyebrow, "Oh I could tell you everything wrong with your country! And now that the PM has been replaced we're even better off!"

The red headed boy reached forward and stopped the brunette before she could get going, "Mae, please. Not now." He knew how his girlfriend could be and he didn't want to waste anymore time before finding his friend.

"Martyn, let me enlighten these poor unintelligent beings!" Mae stomped one of her feet lightly as she turned to stair at the red head.

"Did you really look for him?" Came the response from the smallest of the group, a little blonde girl.

"Yes." Maddie replied quickly, tears streaming down her face.

The blonde girl came closer, "My name is Sarah. I'm Cody's girlfriend. I hope you truly did look for him. If you did I'll tell you what I know."

"We did. We really did." London said as she leaned closer towards the newcomers.

"Sarah, don't tell these little cu-" The blonde boy was cut off as Sarah turned to glare at him.

"You know I don't approve of such language used in my presence, Simon. And these people appear to care."

Simon glared at the group and vaguely gestured at Zack, "Well the bloke that looks like Cody annoys me."

Sarah started laughing, "Why? Simply because you thought finding Cody would be easier than it turned out to be? Simon, these people can help us find Cody. They know the area. We don't. It's as simple as that." She turned back towards the group in front of her. "Do you know where he might have gone?"

"The-the park! He could be in the park!" Carrey's eyes widened as she said that. He used to love the park and it would be easy to find a place to sleep there.

"The one adjacent to this building?" Mae asked as she glanced around the group.

"Yes, that's the one." Moseby said as he looked at these people in front of him. They were the only link to Cody that they had. They could give a hint to what happened.

Simon turned towards the door, "I'll go look for him."

"We'll come too!" Mae said as she grabbed Carla from the couch.

Sarah came around the couch and sat across from Carrey, as Martyn came to stand behind her.

Carrey looked up at the girl who sat quietly next to Zack and Max, "Where has he been? What has my baby been through?"

Sarah sighed as she glanced around the group, her eyes falling on Zack and studying him. She had often wondered what Cody's face would look like if it hadn't been scarred by those boys at school. She glanced back at Martyn, "I think loosing Sayu caused him to want to come back."

"Sayu? Who's Sayu?" Carrey asked as she moved forward. She was at the point where she wanted to grab the young girl and shake her. It was taking too long to get any answers.

"His stepmother." Martyn answered as he glanced at the woman before him.

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**TBC

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**Chibi-Kari: Once again I'm so sorry for the wait. I really meant to post this sooner, and I shall be updating soon. I hope you all liked it and will R&R! Thanks!

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	8. Sayu

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Chibi-Kari: Wooh is all I have to say. I can't believe it's been so long. I did tell one of my faithful reviewers and reminders **(AM83220)** **that I would update in August, but I got pneumonia and then classes started again so that didn't happen! Sorry for the wait and I don't own. I will finish this rather quickly. About two or so chapters and then it'll be done. Next one is from Cody's POV. And this won't end as cut and dry as you all think it will!**

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**The Missing Years**

**Sayu**

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"Caused him to come back? Come on, Martyn. Sayu was the only reason Cody stayed." Sarah laughed lightly. She was only moments away from Cody and she felt more at peace because of that.

"Don't say that. You know he'd stay for you." He shook his red hair as he looked down at the small girl.

"He didn't have to, though. He knew I would follow him here if he wanted." She glanced back at the boy and took his hand in her's. Then she brought her attention back to Cody's family. It was strange. These people weren't anything like she imagined. Just looking at them she could tell they cared. They wanted Cody as much as he had wanted them, "You have such a wonderful son, Ms. Martin. It seems that he's come by and upset you, though. He really isn't acting like himself."

"Acting like himself. Looking like himself. And what's with that scar?" London babbled mostly to herself, but it caught the attention of Sarah.

"Ah. You've noticed it? That happened oh, three years ago? Right, Martyn? It was right before I transferred in and before you became friends."

The red head nodded as he sighed slightly, "I always wish I could have helped him. But God help me, the look on Ali's face when Cody hit him was hilarious. Wicked fun. I'll always remember when they held him down and cut him. There was more blood than I've ever seen. We should have really called a medic. It probably wouldn't have scarred like that, but Cody didn't want to. God, that was the first time Simon and I ever talked to him. No, instead he wanted to go home and Sayu bandaged him up as best she could." He shook his head slightly, "Probably didn't want to bring him in case someone was looking for him and found out he was there. She didn't want to give him up for anything."

Carrie's voice cracked, "She didn't want to give him back to me? She stole four years of his life from me. And you talk about her like she's wonderful. Where is she? I want to give her a piece of my mind!"

Sarah's face hardened immediately. Zack gripped Max's hand a little tighter. If a five foot one hundred and ten pound girl could kill, it was this one, "Sayu was what kept Cody sane. It was so hard for him there! But she loved him! Loved him more than you probably ever could. She was a wonderful person with a wonderful heart. She would have let Cody leave if he said he wanted to. She would have given him the money and flew with him herself. He wanted to stay with her as much as she wanted him. He gave her four years of his life. She will only ever get those four years. You've had him for longer and you can get him again. Although, now I'm not so sure I'll be willing to share with you!"

"My brother is not a possession! You all need to back up and stop thinking about him like that! Damn it Mom! What's wrong with you? And you, girlee, you're my brother's girlfriend or whatever but he's not a damn toy." Zack fumed slightly. He could feel his face turn red. He was lost. He had no idea what was going on. "If anyone is in the wrong it's not this Sayu person, Cody, or us. It's Kurt damn it!"

"Kurt's a right git, but he's not that bad. He loved Sayu, that's why he brought Cody back. She wanted a kid and that was the only way he could give her one. I don't think she ever expected him to leave for a week and show up with a kid, but he did." Martyn shrugged lightly. He really wasn't one for talking, but Sarah had lost that calm she started with. "Bloke drinks too much though, his way of dealing with Sayu's death I think. If we don't find him tonight, I think he'll be back home in a few days. He wouldn't want to leave Kurt too long."

"Why would he go back to him? I don't understand, obviously he didn't take care of him." Mr. Moseby was at a complete loss. Why would Cody go back to the man that had obviously ruined his life?

"Was he spouting out that the day he left was the worst day of his life again? He does mean it, Kurt doesn't care much for him, but he did care for Sayu. That gave Cody some kind of respect for the man. He needs to be taken care of and Cody knows that. He'll go back to do that. Sayu took care of him and now that she's gone, Cody is all that Kurt has left. Good for nothing bloke would die without someone for a few weeks. Especially since he has no money. All of it went to Cody and it's a bloody lot."

"But what if he hurts my baby?" Carrie was sobbing by now and Sarah moved over to join her, clasping hands.

Martyn shook his head and moved into Sarah's abandoned seat, "Oh he couldn't anyway. Cody beat him once for losing it around Sayu. What a situation they got themselves in…bloody ridiculous I say." There really wasn't anything else he could say and he wanted to go. This wasn't his place to tell them all of this.

The doors came open with a commotion and they all looked up scanning the crowd. "He's not there." Maddie's voice rang through the room.

"We'll just head him off at the airport tomorrow. God know's that exactly where he'll be." Simon started to walk towards the waiting area with a slight swagger in his step. He was confident that was where Cody was, but Zack couldn't feel so sure.

He used to pride himself on knowing what his brother would do. But this wasn't his brother at all. Whoever this Cody was they were talking about wasn't his brother. "How can you be sure?"

Mae shrugged slightly, "We know Cody. He wouldn't move tonight. Especially with his mobile here. He'll be right pissed when he finds out he lost it. Slow bloke probably hasn't even noticed it." She laughed lightly and Sarah smiled nodding.

"We'll need to stay here until the morning."

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**TBC**

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**Chibi-Kari: Sorry for the over year wait. R&R! Thanks!**

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	9. Airport

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Chibi-Kari: I tried to make this a little Zack centric. He needed to time and we needed to see how he really felt about the whole situation…I mean he's the twin brother of Cody. I don't own…but I did update quickly like I promised!

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**Missing Years**

**Airport**

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The ride to the airport was silent and a heavy anticipation had settled over the whole van. Moseby had arranged to have the Tipton's airport van bring them all there to get Cody back.

Zack closed his eyes as he leaned back. Max held a firm grasp on his hand, but that didn't stop it from shaking. He was barely functioning as it was. It had been over four years since he had seen his brother. His twin. His other half. And now he was different and angry. Hurt. All because Zack hadn't been there to protect him. That thought in and of itself was painful.

"Oh God, I'm going to be sick." He really felt it as he leaned over trying to put his stomach in a more comfortable position.

"It'll be okay." Max's hot breath blew in his ear and in any other circumstance he would feel more than better with that, but not now. He did take comfort in her being there and he sure as hell was thankful for her hand rubbing his back in a very maternal move.

Zack glanced at his mother who was still next to him. She hadn't moved since they got in the van almost twenty minutes ago. Zack could only pray they would get to Cody before he got on the plane. If they didn't, he wasn't sure his mother would recover. It almost killed her to lose Cody once. It would destroy her.

"Can you all just please shut up!" Maddy's voice rang out through the van as she turned in her seat to look at the five British kids in the back.

"We shouldn't have to. It's not like being silent is going to accomplish anything." Mae said she as she huffed back into her seat crossing her arms.

"And it's not like we won't see him again."

"Simon!" Sarah snapped as she hit him lightly, "We'll be quiet."

"Oh God." Zack couldn't even contemplate that.

There was a chance that they might miss him or worse, he might not want to come back. What if these people in the back seat were more important to Cody now? Hell, when he disappeared they knew where and how to find him. Zack was his twin and when Cody left he had no idea where to look. He had never even known that Cody loved parks.

Over the last couple years, Zack had kept a version of Cody in his head. It made him feel closer to his lost brother. Now he almost wanted to scoff. He didn't know anything about Cody. His impression of his brother was so skewed by his immaturity and his ideas. Cody thought things through, that's all Zack realized he knew. Cody was a thinker. Zack was a man of action. While he would have prided him on that when they were kids, he now knew better.

He needed his brother and he might not get the chance to have that. Cody had probably stewed over this all night and figured that leaving was the right thing. What his friends had said made sense. They knew Cody in a way that Zack had never tried. He just figured because they were twins he knew him best. It was so wrong. Zack made a vow then and there that if he got his brother back he would get to know him. He would know Cody, not who he thought Cody was.

The van pulled to a quick stop as Mr. Moseby slammed his door as he looked around the drop off area of the airport. The rest of the passengers sat in shock before starting their exit. They stood in front of the building for several moments before Sarah came forward and took Carrie's hand.

"Come on. He'll be inside if he's here yet. Martyn, can you go and check to see when the next flight takes off?" He nodded and broke away from the group as they stepped inside the busy lobby.

Carrie scanned the crowd for a mop of blonde hair. Her eyes started to tear as she came up empty after three sweeps of the crowd.

Martyn came back up to them breathing heavily as he shook his red hair from his face, "Takes off in an hour. That would be the flight he's on. Cody doesn't like to linger."

"Damn it," Max swore lightly, "He's probably already through security and God knows they won't tell us if he's on the plane or not."

"Let's go look at the security line just in case. You never know. Sometimes they get backed up." London nodded to herself as she started in the direction of the international terminal.

Zack stood on his toes slightly as they scanned the crowed.

Suddenly Cody's short girlfriend pushed him to the side as she walked forward and called out, "Cody!"

The man that turned was nothing like Zack had expected. His brother looked so much older and tired. Not lack of sleep tired, tired of life.

"Sarah?" His voice broke slightly as his eyes widened. His face pulled itself into a smile and his eyes seemed to lightened as he made his way back through the crowd.

The small girl took off forward towards him and he caught her swinging her slightly in the air. They both laughed before sharing a kiss.

"You're dirty. We need to get you a bloody bath." Sarah smiled slightly as she brought her hand up to his face, pushing his hair away from his face, "And a haircut."

"What are you doing here?" He looked genuinely surprised by her arrival.

"Here to rescue you from the damned American clutches, mate." Simon moved forward from the back of the group, as the rest of his friends mirrored his actions.

"God knows all that was on last night was their president and his pushy healthcare rubbish. If only they were all saying the same thing at those town hall meetings. I don't think anyone knows what that stupid bill says. They really need to get things together." Mae nodded to herself as Martyn and Simon shared a laugh.

Carla stepped forward with a roll of her eyes, "Well we came to save you. Mae came to wreak havoc on the American public by telling them how wrong they are about everything. But of course you know that." She laughed slightly placing her hand on Cody's arm, "Don't disappear on us like that. I'm your oldest friend and I don't like having you out of my sights."

"Sorry. It was a bad idea. Let's just go home and forget about this." Cody shook his head slightly, his eyes trained on his friends and his arms still around Sarah.

Zack had been silent and in shock at seeing his brother. 'This just isn't Cody. It couldn't be Cody' was all that was running in his head. As Cody turned slightly towards the line again Zack finally found his voice. "Cody?"

Cody's body went riged as he turned slowly. Both boys blinked at each other several times, "Zack?"

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**TBC**

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**Chibi-Kari: I hope you enjoyed this little chapter. I had to put in the group's interaction with each other so they didn't just seem like random people that showed up to look for Cody! Thanks for reading…please review!**

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	10. Years From Now

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Chibi-Kari: I still don't own. And this is the last chapter guys! This is how it ends. I hope you enjoyed the journey. When I first started this story I was going in a different direction entirely, but that was too cliché in my mind, so I started to move on to something different. This is a more realistic Cody, to me at least. He was always a strong character. I don't think that would change. Things may seem to be happy at the end, but nothing is smooth. It's all about moving on.

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**The Missing Years**

**Years from Now**

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Carrie stood looking at her two boys. Her two twin boys. They meant the world to her. Both of them, but she couldn't even form the words to tell Cody to stay. None of them had moved as Cody and Zack continued to blink at each other. It had been ten minutes and everyone was starting to worry. Both boys looked blank, as if they were confused by the entire situation.

"Well you look nothing like me." Cody finally spoke with a nervous laugh at the end.

"No. But you kinda look like what I thought I'd look like at 25." Zack shrugged simply.

Cody barked a laugh out causing the surrounding people to stare uneasily, "Yeah. Dirty and poor, right? Ha!"

"And strong and burley. Can't forget about that!" Zack joined in the laughter.

"Yeah, who knew you'd end up looking so weak? Oh how the tides change." Cody's smile morphed into a rueful version.

"Cody?" Carrie finally found her voice as she took a step closer to her prodigal son.

Cody glanced over at her slightly before turning his attention back to his brother, "So Max told me you two were finally together. Congrats buddy."

Zack glanced at his mother who looked devastated before turning back to his brother. Every second he could keep him talking was a way to stop him from getting on a plane. Or at least this plane, "Yup. For awhile now. Best decision I ever made." He looked down at Max who had stood next to, grasping his hand firmly, "Sarah seems like a great girl."

Cody smiled down at the small girl in his arms. He had almost forgotten she was there, "Yeah. My little savior."

"Savior…more like slave driver." Simon mumbled slightly only to have Sarah reach over and hit him in the stomach, "That bloody hurts Sar, stop it!"

Cody laughed lightly as he nudged his friend with his shoulder.

Zack smiled slightly. These people did mean the world to his brother. He almost couldn't bring himself to take that away from him. "You've got great friends, Codes. I'm glad you had someone there for you."

Cody nodded slightly, "Yeah I did. Some of the best blokes you'll ever meet."

"Wrong. The best." Martyn laughed.

Cody nodded, "The best. So what is the entire Tipton staff doing here?"

"We came to bring you back!" Maddie exclaimed coming up next to Zack.

"Oh is this because of what happened at the hotel? I didn't mean half of what I said back there. I have a habit of being a bit dramatic."

"A bit?" Mae mumbled softly.

"You looked so bad. You can't possibly want to go back to whatever made you look like that!" Mr. Moseby gestured at Cody vaguely.

"You mean the streets of Boston…ha. Sorry. I was out on the streets two days before I finally got it through my head to come to you guys. By then I was in a piss mood. And if you mean this." Zack lifted his hair slightly revealing his scar. Zack and Carrie inhaled deeply. London had mentioned it and Martyn had said someone had held him down and cut him, but that was all they knew. Seeing it was a whole lot different than knowing he had one, "Happened in school ages ago. Back before I started to punch back and they stopped. Not a big deal at all. I don't have it bad, if that's what you were thinking. Sure Kurt doesn't care, but other than that my life is comfortable."

"But you could come back with us. We can be a family again. Please." Carrie was crying by now.

Cody took a deep breath in before extracting his arms from Sarah and wrapping them around his mother, "You know I'm not really mad at you. We're still a family. I guess I just imagined you guys wouldn't move on and you did. But how could I expect you not to? I did."

Carrie nodded slightly, "Come back home with us. Things can be the same."

"I can't. I have to finish some things up over there. One of them school. I don't want to leave my friends. I'm not willing to and I'm old enough to make these decisions. It won't be like before. I'll call. I spent a long time being mad, but last night changed that. I can't be mad anymore, but I can't go back to the Cody you want. It doesn't work that way. I'm different, you're different. We don't know each other anymore. That'll take time. Plus someone needs to take care of Kurt."

"What are you going to do about him?" Simon asked.

"Ah. Figured I'd set up a trust for him. Can't trust him not to spend it all on alcohol. Sayu's death got him good. He was in a right rage when I left. I'm not sure what's going to be left of the house."

"I had my father send someone over to make sure he was okay before we came to get you." Sarah nodded to herself slightly, "He said your dad was as good as can be expected. With Kurt that can mean a lot."

Cody laughed slightly, "A lot." He pulled back from Carrie but tossed an arm over her shoulders, "Seems I missed my flight. I guess I'll have to wait the few hours for the next. How about we get some breakfast."

Carrie smiled up at her son, "You'll visit me right?"

"Of course. Now I'm hungry. Let's get some pancakes!" He reached over to Sarah with his other hand, pulling her to him.

"First, you need to fix those plane tickets and we need to get some." Sarah grabbed his ticket and spun away from him. "I'll meet you there."

Cody smiled as he headed to the food court in the waiting area. "You know Sarah always says she wants to go to Uni in Boston."

Carrie and Zack smiled at Cody as he smiled back. Things weren't going to be the same. They would never be what they thought, but they weren't a tragedy. Carrie took solace in the fact that she would have her son back in her arms daily, even if it was years from now.

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The End

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**Chibi-Kari: So that's it. Like I said…not cut and dry. Things aren't going to be easy, but they'll all move on. I hope you guys enjoyed it.**

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